What do I need to know before cataract surgery?

Published in Cataract Pre-Surgery Questions

What do I need to know before cataract surgery?

Macula - Although not always done, I would consider it a best practice to do an OCT prior to cataract surgery.    The special OCT image is a detailed cross-section of the retina and documents any imperfections or lack-of-imperfections prior to surgery.

Dry Eye - Mild, moderate or severe dry eye can negatively affect the outcome of cataract surgery.  Having a healthy cornea can help your surgeon’s team get better measurements for the implant so make sure that you follow your dry eye protocol to the letter before your measurements (not just prior to the surgery date).  It is NOT worth paying for a better lens implant if you have raging dry eye because the measurement accuracy is poor.

Folks with dry eyes can also have more discomfort post-surgery so ask your team if there is something more that you need to do prior to your surgery. 

Lashes and Lid Care - Poor/inadequate lid hygine prior to cataract surgery increases infection risk.  It is a best practice to use lid scrubs or gel care gel prior to your surgery.  Do not have eyelash extensions use or make-up a few days prior to your surgery date.

 

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How long am I off work?

Published in Cataract Pre-Surgery Questions

How long am I off work?

This is a question best answered by your surgeon and the answer will depend on the success of the procedure and your job.

Heavy physical jobs (e.g. fitness instructor) or those with critical vision (e.g. pilot, transport truck driver) will be off longer.  Light visual demand jobs can usually done after a couple of days but there are lots of eye drops, light sensitivity and poor initial vision due to normal inflammation.

Most cataract surgery is day surgery with no overnight hospital stay.  The procedure is quick (10 min) but set-up, follow-up and waiting usually means a full day at the surgery center.

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Can the implant come loose? Fall out? Can I rub it out?

Published in Cataract Pre-Surgery Questions

Can the implant come loose?  Fall out?  Can I rub it out?

It would be unusual but an implant can come loose.  There are natural elastics (zonules) that hold it in place and if those are damaged by trauma or a degenerative condition… the lens can sink or fall into the back of the eye.   This is repairable but requires further surgery.

An implant can not fall out of the eye… just sink low or fall behind the iris.

This is nothing that you can control.  Touching or rubbing your eyes will not damage the implant.

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Does cataract surgery hurt?

Published in Cataract Pre-Surgery Questions

Does cataract surgery hurt?

It would be extremely unusual for a patient to say in a follow-up visit that cataract removal hurt.  It has happened over my 25 years … but I could count the number of times on one hand.

By far the most common discomfort is a scratchy feeling that often persists for a couple of months post-surgery.

Most folks that reported that they experienced discomfort during the procedure say that it was an anesthetic issue … not enough or perhaps too long between drops and surgery.  This was quickly rectified with increased

anesthetic.

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Can my astigmatism be corrected with cataract surgery?

Published in Cataract Pre-Surgery Questions

Can my astigmatism be corrected with cataract surgery?

Yes!  There are two options for fixing astigmatism.

[1] A special implant (toric) - corrected concurrently with cataract surgery.  70% of people could benefit and see better post surgery with an implant that fixes corneal astigmatism.

[2] LASIK post cataract removal - corrected once stable after cataract surgery (~3-6months)

Not all surgeons off this correction.  Talk to your Optometrist prior to surgeon referral.

 

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